Chapter 42: Clues

After traveling without rest, the group finally returned to Fenghua City at night.

Exhausted from their journey, both Yu Qi and Mu Qingnan retired to their respective rooms as soon as they arrived at the Mu residence and promptly fell asleep. Su Dongli, meanwhile, went to find Mu Wenfeng to report on the situation.

Upon hearing Su Dongli’s account, Mu Wenfeng nodded slowly. "It seems the hatred this person holds for Nan’er has reached an intense level."

"Master, do you have any leads?" Su Dongli looked at Mu Wenfeng, his heart heavy with concern. He had watched Mu Qingnan grow up; though their relationship was not that of father and son, it was close enough. He did not want Mu Qingnan to remain in constant danger.

"The people of the Ghost Gate Pass charge a high price, and since this involves assassinating the son of Mu Wenfeng, the cost must be astronomical." Mu Wenfeng’s eyes suddenly glinted with sharp light. He looked at Su Dongli and said, "Uncle Su, go to the Wanli Bank tomorrow and check if anyone has withdrawn a large sum of money in the last few days."

"Very well, Master," Su replied.

Mu Wenfeng’s deduction was correct. To place an order with the Ghost Gate Pass required at least five thousand taels of silver; the greater the risk of the assassination, the higher the fee. Since the target was the son of the General of Gods, the risk was self-evident, and the price demanded by the Ghost Gate Pass would be substantial.

Few people kept such large amounts of silver on their person, preferring to deposit it in the Wanli Bank. By investigating the bank, they would surely find clues more quickly.

Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from Mu Wenfeng. The cup he held in his hand was crushed into powder. His eyes filled with rage as he muttered, "I want to see who dares to lay a hand on my son."

***

The next morning, Su Dongli arrived at the Wanli Bank early.

As the chief steward of the Mu family, he was naturally an honored guest. The proprietor of the Wanli Bank came out personally to welcome him into the pavilion on the second floor.

The proprietor in Fenghua City was a lean man who appeared to be twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He smiled and cupped his hands toward Su. "Elder Su, it has been a long time. Please forgive my poor hospitality. May I ask if you are here to make a deposit or a withdrawal today?"

The man was naturally cautious when dealing with someone of Su Dongli's strength and status, which far exceeded his own. After all, this was Mu family territory. If he were to offend Su, even if Su killed him, the upper echelons of the Wanli Bank would likely take no action out of respect for the General of Gods.

"Jiang Taijing, I have come today to examine your recent ledgers," Su Dongli said calmly as he sipped his tea.

"Ledgers?" Jiang Taijing’s face turned troubled. "Elder Su, the ledgers are confidential items of our bank. I fear I cannot allow you to view them."

Su Dongli glanced at him lightly. "State your terms."

Jiang Taijing’s eyes lit up. "I wish to become your disciple."

Although he was the proprietor of the Wanli Bank in Fenghua City, Jiang Taijing’s martial arts strength was merely average. In truth, he had no interest in banking; he only wanted to practice martial arts. However, lacking a good mentor or a prestigious background, he could not master stronger techniques, and his progress had stagnated.

"Become my disciple?" Su Dongli scrutinized him. "You wish to be my student, yet you are an employee of the Wanli Bank. I am afraid that will not do."

"Uncle Su, I am willing to resign from this position immediately," Jiang Taijing said, his eyes revealing firm resolve. His desire to cultivate martial arts was intense.

In the man’s eyes, Su Dongli saw not only determination but a deep longing. Aside from the vengeful heart of Yu Qi, this was the first time he had seen someone so passionate about martial arts. He finished his tea and said, "I can accept you, but if I ever discover that you use your martial arts to commit evil deeds, I will personally cripple you."

Seeing that Su had agreed, Jiang’s face was filled with excitement. "Master, please rest assured. My heart is set solely on martial arts; I have never once thought of committing any evil."

With that, he took a ledger from his robe and handed it to Su. "Master, these are the records for the past few days. Please look through them quickly, so no one else sees."

Su Dongli nodded and began to flip through the pages rapidly. He found that although there were many entries, most did not exceed five thousand taels.

As he turned to the next page and scanned the lines, he finally discovered several large transactions.

These entries belonged to three individuals: Li Chun, a wealthy merchant in Fenghua City, who had withdrawn fifty thousand taels; Yan Youpeng, the proprietor of the Wujian Pawnshop in the city, who had also withdrawn fifty thousand taels; and Mo Wuhai, a master weaponsmith of the city, who had withdrawn thirty thousand taels.

Su Dongli checked the dates and found that they had all withdrawn their funds on the day before Mu Qingnan departed from Fenghua City.

He closed the ledger gently and returned it to Jiang Taijing. "Pack your things. Come to the Mu residence in a few days; I will take you as my apprentice."

With that, his figure vanished with incredible speed.

Watching Su Dongli’s display of power, Jiang Taijing felt an intense surge of excitement. He finally had the hope of studying under a master of top-tier martial arts. As a martial arts enthusiast, he had learned many techniques, but given his limited resources, he had only ever mastered mediocre ones. Over time, he had grown weary of them, yearning for something higher.

Now that the opportunity was right in front of him, for a martial arts fanatic, nothing could compare to the thrill of gaining access to top-tier techniques.

After leaving the bank, Su Dongli returned to the Mu residence and informed Mu Wenfeng of what he had uncovered.

"Uncle Su, handle this matter as you see fit. Once you identify the culprit, come back and tell me. I am going to check on Nan’er; ever since he returned, he has seemed preoccupied and listless," Mu Wenfeng said before turning to walk away.

Su Dongli also left the residence, heading toward the location of the first person on the list: Li Chun.

He would not allow such hidden dangers to linger near Mu Qingnan. Even if it cost him his life, he would drag the mastermind out into the light.

Moving with great speed, he soon arrived at the grand estate of the Li family. However, he did not rush in blindly, as that would only alert the enemy.

Su Dongli positioned himself a short distance away, watching the gates of the Li estate, waiting for Li Chun to emerge.